220-1201 Practice Test 20 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A small office has a single switch connecting all workstations. Users report that they can see each other on the network but cannot access the internet. The router's link light is off. What should the technician check first?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Check the Ethernet cable between the switch and router.. The link light being off indicates a physical layer problem between the switch and router. The most common cause is a faulty or loose cable, so checking the cable connection is the logical first step in network troubleshooting.

Answer

Replace the switch.

Answer

Reboot all workstations.

Answer

Update the router's firmware.

Question 2

A technician is tasked with deploying a virtualized environment for a small office using a single server. The server has 64 GB RAM, two 6-core CPUs, and a RAID 10 array. The technician needs to run four VMs: a domain controller (4 GB), a file server (8 GB), a web server (4 GB), and a database server (16 GB). After deployment, the database server is performing poorly. The technician notices that the hypervisor has allocated 2 virtual CPUs to each VM. Which of the following is the most likely cause of the database server’s poor performance?

Accepted Answer

The database server VM should have more virtual CPUs allocated, such as 4 vCPUs.. The database server is a resource-intensive application that often benefits from multiple CPU cores for parallel processing of queries and transactions. Allocating only 2 vCPUs to it, especially when other less demanding VMs also receive 2 vCPUs, makes it highly susceptible to CPU starvation. The server has 12 physical cores, so there is sufficient capacity to increase the database server's vCPU allocation (e.g., to 4 vCPUs) to better match its workload demands and improve performance. This tests understanding of proper resource allocation in virtualization.

Answer

The RAID 10 array is not fast enough for database I/O.

Answer

The hypervisor is using a Type 2 hypervisor, causing overhead.

Answer

The virtual switch is configured for 100 Mbps instead of 1 Gbps.

Question 3

A technician is configuring a new NAS with four 10 TB hard drives. The customer wants maximum usable capacity with fault tolerance for one drive failure. The technician sets up RAID 5, but after initialization, the usable capacity is only 10 TB instead of the expected 30 TB. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The array was accidentally configured as RAID 1 (mirroring) across two drives.. RAID 5 with four drives of equal size should yield (n-1) * capacity = 30 TB. A 10 TB result suggests only two drives are being used, possibly due to a misconfiguration like RAID 1 or a stripe set of two drives. This tests RAID 5 capacity calculation and troubleshooting.

Answer

One of the drives is defective and the array is using only three drives.

Answer

The drives are not all the same size; one is 5 TB.

Answer

The RAID controller is using a different stripe size.

Question 4

A technician is troubleshooting a network where one workstation intermittently loses connectivity. The cable run is 85 meters and passes through a conduit with several sharp bends. The cable tester shows intermittent shorts. Which cabling issue is most likely?

Accepted Answer

The cable is being pinched or crushed in the conduit.. The cable tester indicates intermittent shorts, which are classic symptoms of physical damage to the cable. The 85-meter run with sharp bends in the conduit creates a high risk of the cable being pinched or crushed, leading to conductor contact or insulation breakdown. This physical stress causes intermittent connectivity issues, not a length or interference problem.

Answer

The cable is too long for the network standard.

Answer

The cable is unshielded and picking up EMI.

Answer

The cable is a flat patch cable used for a permanent run.

Question 5

A technician is configuring a network for a university campus that has multiple buildings spread across a 5-kilometer area. Each building has its own LAN, and they all need to be interconnected to share resources. Which network type best describes the overall campus network?

Accepted Answer

Campus area network (CAN). A campus area network (CAN) is specifically designed to interconnect multiple LANs within a limited geographic area, such as a university campus or corporate park. With buildings spread across 5 kilometers, the network fits the CAN scope, which typically spans up to 10 km and uses high-speed backbone links like Gigabit Ethernet or fiber optics to connect the individual LANs.

Answer

Local area network (LAN)

Answer

Metropolitan area network (MAN)

Answer

Wide area network (WAN)

Question 6

A user’s laptop connects to the corporate Wi-Fi but cannot access the internet. Other devices on the same SSID work fine. The technician checks the laptop’s IP configuration and sees an IPv4 address of 169.254.12.34. What is the most likely cause of this issue?

Accepted Answer

The laptop’s DHCP client is disabled or malfunctioning. The 169.254.x.x address is an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address, assigned by Windows when the DHCP client fails to obtain a lease from a DHCP server. Since other devices on the same SSID work fine, the DHCP server is functional and has available addresses, isolating the issue to the laptop's DHCP client service being disabled or malfunctioning, which prevents it from requesting or renewing an IP address.

Answer

The laptop is connected to the wrong SSID

Answer

The DHCP server is out of addresses

Answer

The laptop’s wireless adapter is faulty

Question 7

During a network upgrade, you need to identify which cable in a messy patch panel corresponds to a specific office wall jack. The cables are not labeled. Which tool should you use?

Accepted Answer

Toner probe. A toner probe (inductive amplifier and tone generator) is the correct tool for tracing an unlabeled cable from a patch panel to a specific wall jack. The tone generator injects a distinctive audio signal onto the wire pair, and the inductive probe detects that signal without requiring a direct electrical connection, allowing you to identify the correct cable even in a dense, messy bundle.

Answer

Cable tester

Answer

Multimeter

Answer

Loopback plug

Question 8

A server in a data center has redundant power supplies (1+1 configuration). One PSU's status LED is amber, and the other is green. The server continues to run normally. What action should be taken?

Accepted Answer

Replace the PSU with the amber LED immediately. An amber LED on a redundant PSU indicates a fault or warning, but the server remains operational on the other PSU. The faulty unit should be replaced as soon as possible to restore redundancy. Ignoring it risks downtime if the second PSU fails.

Answer

Do nothing because the server is still running

Answer

Swap the two PSUs to see if the amber LED follows

Answer

Reset the PSU by unplugging and replugging it

Question 9

A technician is tasked with connecting a legacy printer that uses a parallel port to a modern laptop that only has USB ports. Which adapter is required to make this connection work?

Accepted Answer

USB to parallel adapter. A USB to parallel adapter allows a modern laptop to communicate with a legacy parallel printer. This requires an active adapter that converts USB signals to parallel. This tests knowledge of legacy connector adaptation and the need for active conversion.

Answer

USB to serial adapter

Answer

USB to PS/2 adapter

Answer

USB to VGA adapter

Question 10

A customer reports that their laptop can connect to the internet via a wired connection but cannot access any network shares or printers by hostname. They can ping the IP address of the file server. Which network service is most likely misconfigured?

Accepted Answer

DNS. The user can ping the file server by IP address, which confirms that basic IP connectivity (Layer 3) is working. However, they cannot access network shares or printers by hostname, which indicates that the system cannot resolve those hostnames to IP addresses. DNS (Domain Name System) is the service responsible for translating hostnames to IP addresses, so a misconfigured DNS server or client DNS settings would cause exactly this symptom.

Answer

DHCP

Answer

NAT

Answer

ARP

Question 11

A user reports that their new laptop can connect to the office Wi-Fi but cannot access any internet sites. Other devices on the same network work fine. Which tool should be used first to verify the laptop's IP configuration?

Accepted Answer

ipconfig. The user's laptop can connect to Wi-Fi but cannot access internet sites, while other devices work fine. This points to a local configuration issue, not a network-wide problem. The `ipconfig` command (or `ifconfig` on Linux/macOS) is the first tool to verify the laptop's IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS server settings, as a misconfigured IP (e.g., APIPA address 169.254.x.x) or missing gateway would prevent internet access despite a successful Wi-Fi association.

Answer

Ping

Answer

Tracert

Answer

Netstat

Question 12

A technician is setting up a dual-monitor configuration for a financial analyst who needs to see many columns of data side by side. The user wants the sharpest possible text and the highest pixel density. Which type of display panel should the technician recommend?

Accepted Answer

IPS (In-Plane Switching) panel. IPS panels are the correct choice because they offer superior color accuracy, wide viewing angles, and high pixel density, which are essential for a financial analyst viewing many columns of data side by side. Unlike TN or VA panels, IPS technology maintains consistent brightness and color across the entire screen, ensuring sharp text without distortion when viewed from different angles. This makes IPS ideal for tasks requiring precise visual clarity and minimal color shift.

Answer

TN (Twisted Nematic) panel

Answer

VA (Vertical Alignment) panel

Answer

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) panel

Question 13

A technician is troubleshooting a projector that displays a faint, ghost-like image even when no input source is connected. The projector has been in use for several years. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The LCD panel has image burn-in. When a projector displays a faint, ghost-like image with no input source connected, the most likely cause is image burn-in on the LCD panel. This occurs because the liquid crystal material or polarizing layers have been permanently damaged by prolonged static image display, causing residual ghosting even when no signal is present. The fact that the projector is several years old further supports this, as burn-in is a cumulative effect over time.

Answer

The projector bulb is nearing the end of its life

Answer

The input cable is picking up interference

Answer

The projector's lens is dirty

Question 14

A technician is tasked with connecting a legacy parallel port printer to a modern motherboard that lacks a parallel port header. The motherboard has an LPT header (25-pin) but it is not populated with a bracket. What is the best way to add a parallel port?

Accepted Answer

Purchase an LPT bracket that connects to the motherboard header. The LPT header on the motherboard provides the necessary signals for a parallel port. A bracket with a ribbon cable that connects to this header is the correct solution. A USB-to-parallel adapter would work but may have compatibility issues and is not the best use of the existing header. A PCIe parallel card is an alternative but unnecessary if the header is present.

Answer

Install a USB-to-parallel adapter

Answer

Use a PCIe parallel port expansion card

Answer

Solder wires directly to the motherboard's LPT header pins

Question 15

A client wants to add a second internal hard drive to their desktop for additional storage, but all SATA ports on the motherboard are already used. What is the best solution?

Accepted Answer

Install a SATA expansion card into an available PCIe slot.. An eSATA or SATA expansion card adds more SATA ports via a PCIe slot. USB adapters are slower, and replacing the motherboard is unnecessary. External enclosures are not internal.

Answer

Use a USB-to-SATA adapter and connect the drive externally.

Answer

Replace the motherboard with one that has more SATA ports.

Answer

Use an external hard drive enclosure connected via USB.